Do You Promise?
by kaytimichelle
Summary: He had been the one they had called. He had to go identify the body. Identify the body of a woman he hadn’t seen in nearly three years.
1. One Accident Will Rock His World

He had been the one they had called. He had to go identify the body. Identify the body of a woman he hadn't seen in nearly three years.

A shrill ring had interrupted the quietness of early morning in the Shepherd home. Derek blinked open his eyes, startled awake from his dreamless sleep. The phone lay on the table to next to him and he reached his hand out to pick it up. _'Seattle Grace? Why are they calling me at this hour?'_ he thought as he glared at the blinking caller ID.

"Shepherd." he answered as an automatic reflex to the infamous middle of the night calls from the hospital. _'Damn,' _he though,_ 'I don't work there anymore!'_

"Hello, this is Natasha Woods from Seattle Grace Hospital. Is this Derek Shepherd?"

"Er…yes," he replied. _'What in God's name could they possibly want at two o'clock in the morning?'_

"There's been an accident involving a young woman. She's in a coma, but we found your number in her cell phone. It was listed as her ICE number."

Derek's mind flashed back to that day almost four years ago. An unidentified man had been airlifted in the hospital with severe internal injuries. He lay alone in a coma for three months. They never did find out who he was, and he had been pronounced brain-dead. They took him off life support, and his body was never claimed. It was as though he hadn't existed. She had squeezed his hand while they watched the man's body being taken from the morgue to be disposed of.

"Promise you won't leave me to die alone in a hospital?" she whispered that night while they lay basking in their after sex exhaustion. "Promise you'll come and identify my body?"

That morning she had changed his name in her cell phone from Derek to ICE. He had done the same, but his had long since been changed from her number to Addison's.

He knew who the woman was, but he couldn't believe it. He _wouldn't_ believe it until he heard it come from the woman on the line's mouth.

"Who is it?" he asked, his voice sounding strangled in his own throat.

"Mr. Shepherd, the body hasn't been identified. That's why we called you. We need you to come and identify her."

He heard her voice echoing throughout his head. _'Do you promise Derek?'_

"Can you be here in the morning? There's a 90 chance she may never wake up, but we need someone to come and identify her. Her injuries were pretty severe."

'_Do you promise?'_

"Mr. Shepherd, are you there?"

'_Are you awake?'_

"Mr. Shepherd?"

'_Derek?'_

"I'll be there as soon as I can." He hung up the phone and stared wordlessly at the ceiling. She couldn't be in a coma. He never had the chance to see her again. He never had the chance to go back and apologize. He never had the chance to say good-bye. He never had the chance to be forgiven.


	2. Five Minutes To Make His Flight

Derek threw the covers off the bed and quickly got out of the bed he shared with his wife. Addison rolled over to face Derek and squinted one eye open.

"Where are you going?" she mumbled softly as he buttoned up his nice red shirt.

"I have to fly back to Seattle….." he paused. He didn't want to tell Addison the real reason why he was going back to Seattle. "Richard needs a neuro consult on a special case."

Addison nodded before shutting her eye and falling back into a deep sleep.

He buttoned his jeans and pulled out a suitcase. He packed his things quietly so as not to wake Addison again.

Her voice started pouring through his head again as he sat in the cab on the way to JFK.

'_You're leaving?'_ He remembered the hurt that had flickered across her face as he told her that he was leaving Seattle and moving back to New York.

'_You can't leave. You hate New York.'_ "I have to go back," was all he could say to her.

'_But…'_ she had stammered out. He waited for her to fling her arms around his neck and tell her he couldn't leave because she loved him, but he knew she wouldn't do that. He put his hand on her cheek and cupped her chin. She pushed him away, and he turned around and started walking down the hall.

'_What about the ferry boats?'_ she called out. She thought he hadn't heard her, but he had. He just didn't want her to see his tears as he silently said good bye to only woman he had ever truly loved.

He wiped furiously at his eyes as he entered the airport. He wasn't supposed to be upset about this. He didn't even know her anymore. She could be somebody's wife. He could be somebody's mother. She could be a whole different person.

"I need a ticket to Seattle," he said to the ticket attendant at the counter. She started to type something into her computer, and he looked around at the people waiting. He saw a little girl sitting with her mother. A young man looking towards the doors anxiously with a dozen roses and a ticket tucked inside them. An aged couple waiting for someone to get off a plane. He was trying to picture their stories when the attendant interrupted his thought.

"Sir, the next flight to Seattle is tomorrow at nine AM. Would you like me to book you a ticket on that flight?" she asked.

He turned to face her. "No. No I do not want you to book me a ticket on a flight at nine tomorrow morning. I need a flight now. My…" he thought for a moment for a word to describe what she was to him, "My soul mate is dying, and I _have_ to be there."

Her eyes widened at the word _dying_. "Sir, there is a sooner flight to Seattle but it leaves the gate in 5 minutes."

"Get me a ticket on that flight. I can make it." He pushed his credit card across the counter and shoved it in his pocket as she handed it back along with the ticket.

"I hope you do make it sir," she said sincerely. He nodded and rushed towards the escalator and ran up the moving stairs.

'_Five minutes. 300 seconds. I can make it.'_

He threw his bag on the security machine belt, and hurried through the metal detector.

**Beep Beep Beep**

"Fuck!"

'_I can't make it.'_


	3. Does The Mysterious Woman Have A Name?

I am SOOO incredibly sorry how long this took. I wrote the chapter, and then sent it to my soundboards (love you Alexx && Jillian) and they confirmed my suspicions of it being WAY too boring. So I rewrote it, and hopefully it's better than before.

Oh, and I realized I forgot my disclaimer on the last two chapters, so here it is.

**I don't own anything. I wish I did… but unfortunately I don't.**

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for all your reviews! Sorry about the continuity thing… the explanation will be coming up the next chapter or the one after it. Not sure yet. Oh yes, and sorry this chapter is so short, but I've got a history study guide due tomorrow. I promise I'll try and make them longer after this though!

"Sir, do you have any metal objects on you?" the security guard asked boredly.

Derek tossed his keys at him before going through the detector again. He breathed out a sigh of relief as he passed through without the incessantly annoying beep of death following him. He ran down the terminal to the gate and arrived breathless.

"_**This is the last boarding call for flight 102 from New York City, New York to Seattle Washington."**_

He handed his boarding pass to the attendant and rushed through the jet bridge. He squeezed down the aisle and finally sat down in his seat. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, and shut his eyes. He drifted into a dreamless sleep.

Derek woke up with a start when the plan bumped as it touched down on the asphalt. He glanced out the window and noticed that day was just breaking.

'_Please don't have woken up. Please, please, PLEASE let me make it there before she wakes up.'_

As the plane rolled to a stop, Derek jumped up and grabbed his bag. He exited the plane and ran through the airport.

'_Cab. I need a cab. Where the fuck are all the cabs?'_

A blue cab pulled up and Derek practically threw himself at it, jumping into the backseat.

"Seattle Grace Hospital. As fast as you can please."

'_This isn't New York. Cabs are not yellow here, and they're not everywhere. I am not in New York anymore…'_

His head narrowly missing whacking against the plastic divider as the cabbie braked suddenly.

'_But they should God damn still be able to drive properly!'_

It didn't take long for them to arrive at the hospital. Derek threw a twenty at the driver and went inside. He ran to the elevator and jabbed at the button. The doors dinged closed behind him as he entered and pushed the button for the 5th floor.

'_1… 2… 3… 4… 5. Thank God!'_

He approached the unfamiliar looking nurse at the desk.

"Can I help you?"

"Yes. Actually you can. I'm looking for Natasha Woods. She called me about an unidentified patient."

"Oh, you must be Mr. Shepherd. She just got off duty, so she's already gone for the day, but I can help you. You're here to identify the body? The patient is in room 101." She stood up and started walking towards the room. Derek stopped her.

"I need to go in there alone. She's…I… Well I haven't seen her in a long time. It's going to be a shock."

The nurse sat down and motioned for him to go ahead. He went into her room and shut the door behind him.

"Oh God."

What he saw was even more of a shock than he expected. Her face was covered in nasty red and pink marks, and freshly done stitches. Her cheek was fleshy and open. Her features had swollen severely. Derek could see why no one could recognize her. White gauze swathed her head, and her hair fell across her shoulders. It was tinged red from her blood, and stuck together in clumps. Her right arm was wrapped in a cast, and her left arm was covered in swelling dark red burns. He winced as he saw that they extended up her arm and covered most of her neck as well.

'_Why did this happen to her? She doesn't deserve this.'_

He dropped his bag and moved closer to her. Sitting down in the chair next to her was his next move, but before he could even pull the chair out, the door opened. Derek blinked away the tears that had been clouding his vision since he saw her.

"Do you know who she is?" the nurse asked tentatively.

'_Do I know who she is? Do I **know** who she is?'_

The hot prickle behind his eyes came back, and he turned back to look at the beautiful face that had been marred by some drunk driver.

'_No,'_ he stopped himself, _'I don't know what happened. Maybe it was her fault.'_

"Who did this?" he said suddenly, ignoring her question.

'_What am I thinking? It wasn't her fault… It couldn't have been her fault.'_

"Drunk driver. Came flying at her car at almost ninety miles an hour. Crashed straight into the front of her."

"What happened to him?" he asked gravely.

"He needed some stitches and he broke his leg. He's already been discharged."

'_She has to go through this **hell** and he just walks out perfectly fine!'_

He took her right hand and rubbed the back of her hand.

'_It's not fair.'_

"Mr. Shepherd—"

"Please… call me Derek. No one here has called me Mr. Shepherd since even before I worked here."

"You worked here?"

"Yeah… so does she. Well I thought she did. I don't know if she still does. Surgical floor. That's where I met her. Well… I actually met her at the bar across the street. But I never would have seen her again if we both hadn't of worked here on the same floor." He remembered the day when he had pulled her into the stairwell after she realized her boss was the one night stand she had ditched that morning.

'_Dr. Shepherd!'_

'_Dr. Shepherd? This morning it was Derek. Now it's Dr. Shepherd?'_

He had teased her. If only he would have known he was going to fall in love with her. He should have told her…

'_Oh God. What if she wakes up and she's still mad?'_

"Well Derek. Does the mysterious woman have a name?"

'_Look, I'm gonna go upstairs and take a shower, okay, and when I get back down here, you won't be here, so, um, goodbye…um…'_

'_Derek.'_

'_Derek. Right—'_

"Meredith. Meredith Grey."


	4. One Breath For Every Moment He Loved Her

Thanks again for all your reviews. Definitely made me happy in my English class. :

**Still don't own anything. Most unfortunately.**

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"Does she have any family that you know of?" the nurse asked.

He shook his head. He didn't trust himself to say anything more. The nurse wrote something down and quietly slipped out of the room.

Derek sat down on the chair and sunk his head into his hands. He couldn't accept that it was her on the bed. It couldn't be. He shut his eyes to block his tears from falling.

'_This isn't her. This is just a patient. Any minute now she's going to walk through that door to diagnose the patient.'_

He took a deep breath.

'_1…'_

One for every second that passed.

'_2…'_

One for every moment they had shared.

'_3…'_

One for every time she smiled.

'_4…'_

One for every stolen kiss.

'_5…'_

One for every seductive glance from across the room.

'_6…'_

One for every single time he had thought about her.

'_7…'_

One for every time he should have told her.

'_8…'_

One for every time she had made an excuse to leave the room when he and Addison had walked in.

'_9…'_

One for the hurt in her eyes and her voice when he had left her behind…

'_10…'_

Derek opened his eyes and lifted his head up. He turned to the door. She wasn't going to walk through it. She was on the bed. She was the patient. Diagnosed to die alone.

'_No. NO! I will **not** let her die alone.'_

He took her right hand in his hand again and fingered the silver ring on her finger.

'_No.. I will not let her **die**.'_

"I know you can't hear me, but maybe… maybe you'll know that someone is here for you. You probably still hate me, and I don't blame you. I blame myself. I should have told you about her. I thought about it so many times. I wanted to tell you, but I was afraid. I didn't want to ruin what we had. That night she came, I promised to myself, was going to be the night I was going to tell you. That was before I knew she was going to just show up. I was going to explain everything. How she slept with Mark. How I filed for divorce, but she refused the sign the papers. 'We can work through this Derek,' she said to me. How I left, because I wanted to get rid of her….…. I thought maybe you would understand."

'_What am I thinking? Would I have understood if her husband had come up to me and accused me of sleeping with her?'_

"Who am I kidding? You had a right to be angry. Addison shouldn't have said that. I was so mad at her when she came. I ignored her for days. Then I saw how it had affected you. You looked like a body without a soul. A rose without petals. A shell without it's pearl. It hurt me so much that I had done that to you. I knew you would never forgive me, so I assumed the end of my life as I knew it. I took Addi back. I sold the trailer and my land. I left my job, and I left you. I heard you that day. I heard you calling after me. 'What about the ferry boats?' you said. I should have come back. God, how I wish I would have. Maybe this wouldn't have happened. Maybe we both would have been happy. Well, I know I would have. I hope you are happy. I really hope you are. You deserve it. You deserve everything I could never give you. You deserve better than me. You don't deserve to be here in this hospital."

Tears started to form in his eyes again.

"You shouldn't be here. You never did anything wrong. I wish I was the one in the hospital instead of you. I wish I could have protected you. I wish I could have had one last night with you. I wish I hadn't left. I wish I would have left her when I had the chance. You are so much better, smarter, prettier… so much more than her. I wish you were here with me right now."

He put his head down on her bed and let them fall.

"You have to wake up. You cannot die on me. I need you. I can't go on without you. I never stopped loving you when I went back to Addi. You were like the treasure that disappeared because I had screwed up. I want the treasure back. I love you Mer."

He cried for his screw ups, for her, and for what could have been if he would have stayed in Seattle. He cried for what he had done to her and what he could never take back.

"You're wrong."

His head jerked up.

"Mer?"

"I could hear you," she said slowly, her lips moving painfully with every word.

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I know, I know… so predictable. I figured there had been enough depressing stuff. Derek might have killed himself if anything else bad happened.

R&&R, I'll love you forever:

Thanks—

Kayti 3


	5. Confessions Of A Long Lost Love

**I'm sorry it took so long again. I'm having major writer's block, and I've been a bit busy. Thanks SO much for all your reviews! Sorry if I haven't replied to yours yet, but like I said, I've been busy with school and whatnot. It's finally break at school, so I'll have more of a chance to update faster. Hope you like this chapter… It's not one of my best, but review all the same.**

**I don't own anything, nor will I ever**

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"_You're wrong."_

_His head jerked up._

"_Mer?"_

"_I could hear you," she said slowly, her lips moving painfully with every word._

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"What?" Derek asked unbelievably. He stood up quickly, knocking over the chair he had only moments before vacated.

"I—I could hear you," she said again, closing her eyes.

"No, I heard that. But—but you're awake… They told me you didn't have a very good chance of waking up."

"It was you," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "You came to save me. You didn't leave me alone to die."

He stroked her hair, staining his fingers red with her blood.

"I promised, didn't I?"

Tears fell from underneath her bruised eyes and onto her swollen cheeks.

"Oh Mer, don't cry. Don't cry baby."

'_Shit. Did I just call her baby?'_

Her eyes opened, and she looked up at him. Her eyes were glassy with tears, but she seemed to ignore him calling her baby and just whispered, "Why did this happen to me?"

"Because—because. Oh hell Mer, I don't know. I have no idea."

He righted the chair and sat down, sinking his head into her bed. He started to break down, and she ran her good hand through his hair.

"Derek, how come you came all the way here for me?"

He lifted his head up and looked at her, his eyes bloodshot from the tears. "I promised Mer. I promised you I wouldn't leave you alone."

"But that was almost four years ago."

"A promise is still a promise."

"Promises were made to be broken."

He took her hand off his head and held in his hands. He fingered the silver ring again, remembering the day he had bought it for her.

'_It's a promise ring Derek. Haven't you ever heard of them?'_

'_No. What, do you make promises on them?'_

'_Something like that. We buy each other promise rings, and it's like a promise to each other. You know?'_

He looked down at his own ring finger. The thin silver ring was nestled behind his wedding ring. He hadn't even noticed he's been wearing it all these years. It was apart of him.

"Do you still have yours?" she said, her voice interrupting his thoughts.

"Yeah—yeah I do."

"Some promise," she said quietly, closing her eyes.

"Yeah," he said softly.

They stayed there for a long time, the only sound the room coming from the multitude of machines keeping her alive. He watched her chest rise and fall with every labored breath. Finally she opened her eyes.

"I like your shirt," she said, a smiling spreading across her broken face.

"I knew you would."

"You know a lot of things Dr. Shepherd. Very smart man you are."

"That is an accurate diagnosis Dr. Grey," he said, finally cracking a smile.

She giggled weakly as he playful teased her for her comment. He let out a small chuckle, but it turned into a laugh as she giggled even more.

"I'm not a doctor anymore," she said as the laughter died away.

"I didn't tell Addison I was coming here for you."

"I live all alone now."

"I made up with Mark."

"I haven't been to Emerald City Bar in three years."

"I haven't worn this shirt in three years."

"I miss you."

"I love you."

She looked at him and smiled.

"I love you too Derek."

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**Sappy sappness. But you all know you love it. It's what makes us human. :)**


	6. Caught By The Devil Herself

**Okay I _know_ I promised I'd try and update faster, but I lied. I'm sorrrrry :-. Blame it on the Christmas shopping.**

**STILL don't own anything.**

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"_I love you."_

_She looked at him and smiled._

"_I love you too Derek."_

> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >

"I wish I could kiss you," he murmured, running his fingers through her hair again.

"Patience is a virtue Derek. Didn't they ever teach you that at school?"

"Mmm… I must have missed that day," he mumbled, moving closer to her.

She smiled as he settled on kissing her hand.

"There, that'll have to do," he whispered.

"Do until when?"

"Until it's safe to kiss you without sending you into convulsions."

A giggle escaped through her smile. She closed her eyes, and felt the warmth of his lips spread through her body as he kissed her hand again. It was then she knew. She was going to be okay. She was going to live.

Derek smiled as he watched her drift off, kissing her hand softer and softer until she finally fell asleep. He stood up and walked to the door. He took one more glance at her as he turned the handle, and walked out, closing the door quietly behind him.

"How'd it go?" the nurse asked tentatively.

He looked up, startled to hear the nurse's voice.

"Fine. It went…fine," he said, not mentioning the fact that she had woken up. She was asleep again, and he didn't want anyone to wake her until he got back.

He walked out of the hospital and into the bright sunshine of a new day. Almost on autopilot, he walked the familiar path to her house, reminiscing over times he'd had with her before Addi had showed up.

'_It's not the chase.'_

'_What?'_

'_You and me. It is not the thrill of the chase. It's not the game. It's... It's your tiny, ineffectual fists. And your hair.'_

'_My hair?'_

'_It smells good.'_

Her hair. Even drenched in blood it was beautiful. **She** was beautiful. He looked up and stared straight at her house. He could picture her out on the porch, dancing away to her own music with a bottle of tequila.

'_So, you blew me off for a bottle of tequila. Tequila's no good for you -- doesn't call, doesn't write. It's not nearly as much fun to wake up to.'_

'_Take me for a ride, Derek.'_

Oh God how he wished he could. He wished he could pick her up and take her out of all her pain. Take her to his car and drive away from everything. From the hospital, from Addi, and from her misery.

'_It's my fault. It's my fault she's in all this misery. I shouldn't have left.'_

He pulled the spare key he'd kept for all these years from its worn place in his leather wallet, and unlocked her door. A wave of memories overcame him as he walked through the door.

'_If only it hadn't taken me three years to figure that out.'_

The door shut behind him as he gave it a little push with his foot. He remembered how many times they had come through that door, entangled in one another, gasping for breath between hot and heavy kisses.

Her house seemed like it had been frozen in time. A coffee mug was haphazardly shoved on the entryway table, her pale lipstick having stained the rim. He smiled, picturing her rushing to get to work that morning, taking one last gulp of the piping hot coffee before running out the door. The faint sounds of a TV still left on echoed throughout the empty house. He walked upstairs and into her bedroom, stepping over a pile of laundry. The bed was unmade, and her clothes were strewn across the room. He laid down on her bed, picking up a pillow and smelling it, smelling _her_.

His cell phone rang, and he absentmindedly picked it up.

"Shepherd," he said automatically.

"And I half expected it to be Meredith who picked up the phone."

"Why are you calling Addi?"

"The better question would be, what are you doing in Seattle?"

"I already told you. I'm doing a neuro consult for Richard."

"Oh it that so? Then why is it that Richard called here to ask your advice on a case? And why is it that he was calling from Cedars Sinai in Los Angeles?"

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**Finally some problems in the perfect sappiness of the story. You like?**


	7. Someone's Popular On The Telephone Today

**All my Christmas shopping is done, so more time to write! This'll probably be my last chapter until after Christmas, so I'll try to make it a long one. : Call it my early Christmas present to all of you. Because I love all of you SO much for your reviews. Happy Holidays!**

**Do I look like I've just won the lottery and boughten the rights to GA? No… I didn't think so.**

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"_Why are you calling Addi?"_

"_The better question would be, what are you doing in Seattle?"_

"_I already told you. I'm doing a neuro consult for Richard."_

"_Oh it that so? Then why is it that Richard called here to ask your advice on a case? And why is it that he was calling from Cedars Sinai in Los Angeles?"_

> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >

'_Oh fuck…'_

"Addi—"

"Don't Addi me," she cut him off, "Why did you lie? Are you with Meredith?"

"No," he said truthfully.

"Lying doesn't suit you Derek."

"I'm not with her. She's in the hospital Addison," he said tersely.

Addison was silent for a moment.

'_So maybe she does have some compassion.'_

"That still doesn't tell me why you lied to me!" she burst out.

'_Maybe not.'_

"She almost died. There was no way in hellI wasn't going to come." he said tersely and hung up the phone.

Almost immediately Meredith's home phone rang. Derek grabbed it.

"Hello?"

"How did I know you would be there?" her voice came through the line with a giggle.

"Oops. You got me red handed."

"I missed you when I woke up. I thought maybe I had imagined that you had come. I even had to ask the nurse if you had really been here."

"And what did she say?" he asked as he pulled something out from underneath him. He laughed, realizing they were his boxers. His cute Dr. Seuss boxers. The ones his nieces had sent him for his birthday. He'd wondered where they'd gone.

"She said 'A very handso—Why are you laughing?"

"You wear my boxers to bed?"

She giggled again. "Oops. You got me red handed."

'_She wears my cute Dr. Seuss boxers to bed?'_

"So, you're in my bedroom?" she continued.

'_Why did I leave her?'_

"Mm hmm… It's very messy."

'_Addison would never wear my cute Dr. Seuss boxers to bed.'_

"Well you know I would have cleaned it, but between getting in an accident and going into a coma, I just didn't have enough time," she said sarcastically.

'_Meredith would… Meredith does.'_

He laughed, "I like it messy. It's very… you."

"So you're saying I'm messy?"

"Would I be lying if I said no?"

"Yes!" she laughed. "What are you doing all by yourself in that big house?"

"Actually, I was thinking I might go to the hospital to visit this beautiful woman I know."

"Oh yes? I think she might be very excited about that."

"Might she want dinner? I make a mean green eggs and ham," he said, smiling.

"She might… in fact, she does. But only if you bring the boxers. These hospital gowns are quite… open. Very uncomfortable."

He stifled a laugh at her discomfort. "Does the madam require anything else from her abode?"

"Nope. Only you."

"I'll be there as soon as I can," he said before turning the phone off. He stood up and walked down to kitchen tossing the boxers and his jacket onto the floor beside the door so he wouldn't forget either. A bowl of half eaten cereal sat on the kitchen table, next to the open box of cereal. He chuckled softly to himself as he put it away and washed the bowl out. The refrigerator proved to be full of all the ingredients he needed, and just as he cracked the eggs open and poured them into the pan, his cell phone rang again.

He looked at the display and frowned.

'_Addison. Again…'_

"Yes?"

"When are you coming home?"

"I'm not."

"Yes, yes you are. When can I expect you home?"

"Addi— I don't want to do this on the phone."

"Do what Derek? Tell me that you're staying in Seattle with Meredith? Go ahead. Tell me over the phone. Because no matter where or how you tell me, I won't believe you."

"What?"

"Derek, last time I came to Seattle you claimed you weren't going to leave Meredith. But whose bed do you sleep in now? Mine. So you can say you're going to stay with her all you want, because I know you'll come back. You always do."

He didn't say anything. The eggs were almost finished cooking, and he added the precooked ham and green dye.

"Shit," he muttered as he dropped the bottle into the eggs and ham.

"Shit? That's all you have to say is shit?"

"Addison, shut up. I dropped something into the eggs."

"What eggs? Are you cooking for your precious 'Oh God, I almost died, Derek save me!' girlfriend?"

"Don't say that about her."

"Has she blurted out her feelings of loneliness since you left? Has she told she's missed you, and that she loves you?"

"Addison—"

"Derek, don't. Go play with your tutti frutti almost dead girlfriend, and when you feel like coming back to reality, call me."

The line went dead and Derek shoved the phone deep in his pocket.

'_Tutti frutti girlfriend? What the hell is a tutti frutti?'_

He slid the green eggs and ham from the pan to a tupperware container, and grabbed the bottle of sparkling apple cider he had found in the fridge.

'_Meredith is not a tutti frutti.'_

He put it all in a bag, and gently set down two champagne glasses on top of it all. On his way out he put the boxers in with the food, and shrugged his jacket on.

The same nurse was at the desk when he arrived on the fifth floor.

"She's been asking about you," she said with a smile.

"I heard she didn't really believe I had come before."

The nurse blushed, hoping her patient hadn't told him what she had said about him. He grinned and walked into Meredith's room.

"I thought you were never going to come," she said.

"And leave you here waiting for me? Never." He pulled out the boxers and tossed them at her. She giggled as they landed above her head.

'_That damn giggle. Gets me every time. It's so intoxicating… I want to kiss her.'_

"Here are your eggs and ham, perfectly green," he said, setting them down on the bedside table.

'_Want to kiss her.'_

"And a bottle of sparkling cider, to substitute for champagne," he said, setting the bottle and glasses down with a flourish.

'_Need to kiss her.'_

She smiled and took a bite of the green eggs and ham.

"Mmm… tasty."

"They better be. I slaved over a hot stove to make them," he said, sitting down next to her on the bed.

'_Have to kiss her.'_

He poured out the cider and handed her a glass.

"To a fast recovery."

"I'll toast to that," she said clinking her champagne flute to his.

He took a drink, savoring the sweet bubbly taste.

'_Mustn't kiss her.'_

She awkwardly tried to drink it, before he stopped her. He pulled out a straw from the bag and set it in the drink.

"You think of everything," she said, taking a sip.

'_Must kiss her.'_

Another bite went in her mouth.

'_Mustn't kiss her.'_

And another.

'_Must kiss her.'_

And another.

'_Mustn't kiss her.'_

She held out the fork with a bite on it to him. He took the bite, and she slowly pulled the fork out of his mouth.

'_Must kiss her…'_

He took the fork and set it down on the table next to the container.

"Why'd you do that?"

"Shh…" he said, leaning down so his face was millimeters away from hers.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

And he kissed her.

> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >

**Romance at its finest. Merry Christmas everyone!**


	8. Dr Fletcher Gets A Smack In The Face

**Alright, I lied again. I updated before Christmas. Just a short chapter through. Not that good, I wrote it after my family's Christmas Eve party.**

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"_Shh…" he said, leaning down so his face was millimeters away from hers._

"_I'm sorry," he whispered._

_And he kissed her._

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Meredith was surprised at first, but slowly she wrapped her good arm around his neck and kissed him back. Finally, after what seemed like eternity, they broke apart.

"That was—,"she said, her voice breathy, and a smile on her face, "I mean it was—,"

'_Wow.'_

"Amazing," Derek finished.

'_I mean. WOW.'_

"More than amazing."

He moved so he was laying down next to her, and took a bite of her eggs.

"Those _were_ for me," she joked.

Before he could say anything, the door swung open and a doctor entered.

"Hello! I'm Dr. Fletcher, and you must be Meredith Grey. What a relief we know who you are now. We had to call you Jane Smith all during surgery."

"I had surgery?"

"Yes. You had a lacerated liver, and you shattered several of your ribs. You had skin grafts put on those burns, and you had a gash on your head that we had to sew up. Plus the stitches you've got on your face."

Meredith's eyes filled with tears.

"Mer… Mer don't cry," Derek said to her, taking her hand in his. "It's going to be okay. Look, you're through the worst of it. Now it's just recovering, and that'll be over soon."

"And you are?" the doctor asked brusquely.

"Derek. Derek Shepherd."

"Well Ms. Grey—"

"Please, call me Meredith."

"Meredith certainly does have a bit of recovery in her future. She could do with some peace and quiet," she said, eyeing the champagne glasses. "And certainly no alcohol."

Meredith lifted her glass, "Cider. Of all people Derek would know that there's no alcohol allowed for recovering patients." She giggled softly.

"Good. Well, you should be out of here at least in two weeks, if not sooner. You're healing nicely."

"I only have to stay two weeks even though I almost died?"

"Well yes, but you didn't die. We've got an excellent sur—"

"gical staff who were able to fix everything, with minimal scarring. We have skilled interns who learn from medical procedures such as your own," both Derek and Meredith recited along with the doctor.

Dr. Fletcher raised her eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"We used to work here. I was the head neurologist, and she was an intern…" he trailed off looking at Meredith to finish.

"I became chief resident, and then I transferred to California for a year. I took a leave of absence to take care of my mother—," she stopped herself, "you know, we don't need to go that far."

"So basically we know the speech by heart," Derek finished.

"Oh. Well, Dr. Stanley will be in here soon to check your stats and ask you some questions. I need to see to another patient."

The doctor left, and Meredith smiled at Derek.

"Oh God! The look on her face after she realized she had been so rude to the previous Head of Neurology!" she said.

Before he could say anything back to her, his cell phone began to ring again.

"Not again..."

"Who is it?" she asked as he stood up and pulled it out of his pocket.

"Addison," he said, looking at the display

"Oh."

It was obvious she had forgotten about Addison.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Derek, I'm on my way to Seattle."

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**Oooh. Cliffhanger. Sorry the chapter's not all that good. I'm on my way out the door again…**


	9. Cheesecake and Radios

**How was everyone's holiday? Very enjoyable I hope. Here's another chapter. Not much happens. Just some talk. Meredith needs to hurry up and get better so she can go home. I've got all these ideas for when she gets out, and none left for while she's in. Hopefully the two weeks or whatever will magically 'speed' by in the next chapter. I love being an author. You have the magic of time. Like these past 9 chapters have all been in the same day, but in the next chapter a whole two weeks will go by as quick as a sentence.**

**Enjoy the chapter. Very romantic I think…**

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_Before he could say anything back to her, his cell phone began to ring again._

"_Not again..."_

"_Who is it?" she asked as he stood up and pulled it out of his pocket._

"_Addison," he said, looking at the display_

"_Oh."_

_It was obvious she had forgotten about Addison._

"_Hello?" he answered._

"_Derek, I'm on my way to Seattle."_

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"No. No you're not. You are _not_ coming to Seattle."

"My finger is hovering over the purchase button as we speak."

"Why? Why would you do that Addison?"

"Because Derek. Because I love you. I love you more than that Pop-Tart ever will. We have something. We have—"

"Did you just call Meredith a Pop-Tart?"

Meredith giggled. "She called me a Pop-Tart? Seriously?" she mouthed to Derek. He nodded, almost laughing about it.

"What does it matter what I call her?" Addison's voice came angrily through the line. "We—You have a life in Manhattan. A life that certainly does _not_, nor will ever include that little—"

"Let me stop you right there Addi," Derek interrupted her, "I am not leaving. I gave our marriage a chance. And what happened when I came back? Nothing. Nothing happened. I want you to sign the papers Addison."

"It's going to take a lot more than your _girlfriend's_ little proclamation of love and you asking me to make me sign the papers. I won last time, didn't I? And wasn't that even after she made that heart breaking speech to you? I swear to you, you'll be back in Manhattan soon." She slammed the phone down, and Derek shoved his in his pocket.

'_Oh God, why'd she bring up Meredith's speech?'_

"So… that sounded pleasant," Meredith said quietly.

'_Her or me.'_ Meredith's voice echoed in his head.

"Oh yeah. She's just… not ready to accept that we should have ended it before it began."

'_And I'm sure she's really great.'_

"Did she really call me a Pop-Tart?"

'_But Derek… I love you…'_

He nodded. "When I talked to her earlier, she called you quite a few other names too."

'_In a really, really big … pretend to like your taste in music,'_

"Oh really? Like what?"

'_Let you eat the last piece of cheesecake,'_

"Let me think… I believe she called you my tutti frutti girlfriend…"

'_Hold a radio over my head outside your window…'_

"Your tutti frutti girlfriend?" she snorted.

'_Unfortunate way that makes me hate you, love you.'_

She started to laugh softly and Derek watched her. He loved the way her eyes kind of squinched up when she laughed. The way the sun shone on her hair, making it seem almost translucent.

'_So pick me.'_

Derek sat back down next to her and lightly kissed her lips. She smiled as he pulled away. "What's wrong with me Mer? Why the hell did I fuck up so badly?" he said suddenly, a tear running down his cheek.

'_Choose me.'_

"You didn't fuck up Derek," she said as he started to break down. "You just—you just needed some time. And you needed to get away. Maybe we were moving too fast. Maybe I was just a rebound." He shook his head.

'_Love me.'_

"No Mer. You weren't a rebound. I do love you. I love you so much it hurts. I pick you. I choose you Meredith."

"What?"

He sniffed hard. "You… you needed me. You needed me more than Addison needed me, and I just left. I left you waiting at the bar. I left you waiting in Seattle. And I left you waiting for the last piece of cheesecake, and for me to hold the radio."

Meredith leaned back against the pillow. "I can't believe you remember that."

"Let me make it up to you. Please?"

"Derek that's okay it was four years ago…"

"No! No it's not okay. I'm going to make it up to you. I have to make it up to you," he said as he laid next to her. She took his hand and intertwined her fingers through his.

"Do you promise?" she asked.

"I promise."

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**And as for my promise, I promise to update fast. We all want Meredith home. She's quite boring just laying in a bed…**


	10. A Kiss To Forget

**OMG. I got this chapter done last night, and I was trying to upload it, but it kept timing out! I'm so sorry!**

**Okay here's another chapter. I got this idea last night when I was about to fall asleep. Unfortunately Meredith doesn't go home yet, but next chapter I promise she'll come home. Well… maybe the chapter after next. Depends on what I do next.**

**Enjoy :**

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"_Let me make it up to you. Please?"_

"_Derek that's okay it was four years ago…"_

"_No! No it's not okay. I'm going to make it up to you. I have to make it up to you," he said as he laid next to her. She took his hand and intertwined her fingers through his._

"_Do you promise?" she asked._

"_I promise."_

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A week and a half passed without any word from Addison. Derek went and visited Meredith everyday, filling her room with flowers, and showering her with attention.

"Do you think I'll get to go home soon?" Meredith asked the doctor one day.

"Yes definitely. You're recovering remarkably fast. I'm going to say you can probably be discharged the day after tomorrow."

Meredith grinned at Derek and he lightly planted a kiss on her lips.

"I'll have Dr. Dahmor come in tomorrow to evaluate you," the doctor said before leaving the room.

"I get to leave! I get to come home and spend all my time with you!" Meredith yelled, throwing her arms around Derek's neck. He hugged her back, taking in the scent of her newly washed hair.

"Are you smelling my hair?" she asked as they broke apart.

"I might have been."

"It's a good thing I washed it then," she said with a smile. "Do you know how hard it is to shower with a cast?"

"I can imagine," he said, grabbing his jacket.

"Where are you going?"

"I've got to go back to your house. I'm waiting for a phone call from my boss in New York. He's helping me transfer back to this hospital."

"So you really are staying?"

"Would I lie to you?"

"You might," she giggled.

He walked over to the door and blew her a kiss on his way out. Meredith leaned back into her pillows and turned the television on, but she couldn't really concentrate on the program. She kept thinking of Derek, and how wonderful he had been to her since he had come to Seattle. The little things he had done for her. Like the time he brought her a piece of cheesecake, or the time he came in with a radio, playing her favorite song. Or even the time they had been making out on her bed and her doctor had walked in on them.

She had been so immersed in her thoughts that she jumped when the door slammed open, and Addison walked in, black stilettos and everything. She pushed it shut and stood at the end of Meredith's bed.

"What are you doing here Addison?" she asked, confused.

"What am _I_ doing here? What the hell do you think I'm doing here? I'm getting my husband back, but I thought I'd take a little detour and visit the tart that brought him out here."

"He doesn't love you. He won't go back to you."

"Excuse me? Aren't little girls supposed to be respectful of their elders?"

"Well he doesn't. He hasn't loved you since he left you the first time. You cheated on him. What the hell possessed you to cheat on him Addison? He is such an amazing person and you fucking shattered his world. To make matters worse it was with his best friend. His _best friend_. He's not going to go back to you no matter what you do."

"You have no right to lecture me on cheating. What the fuck do you think he was doing when he was doing whatever the hell you two did while he was still married to me?"

"That was not cheating. That was… that was a relationship. Between two people who care about each others feelings. But you wouldn't know what that is since you've been toying with Derek's feeling since day 1."

"Thank you _SO_ much for the lesson on love. I really needed that from someone who wasn't old enough to remember the 80's."

"Please leave Addison. I don't want you here."

"More than happy to. I just needed to take a glance at the little girl who thinks she's in love with _my_ husband. If you don't mind, I'll be stopping at your house. I'm sure Derek's there just waiting for you to come home."

She stormed out the door, and Meredith picked up the phone. She dialed her house number and waiting for him to answer.

"Derek?" she asked as soon as he picked up.

"The one and only. What's wrong?"

"Addison is what's wrong."

"Addison?"

"She's here. In Seattle."

'_Holy mother of destruction.'_

"What? Why? How do you know?"

"She just dropped by. Your wife is a very _pleasant_ person."

'_Oh fucking shit.'_

"Oh God Meredith. I am _so_ incredibly sorry."

"I wouldn't be too sorry. She's coming to see you next. She seems to know you're at my house."

"Okay, well… thanks for the heads up."

"Yeah well you needed it. She is pissed off."

"Oh great."

"Don't worry just calmly explain everything to her."

"You know for some reason I don't think she'll take it that well… but thanks anyway. I'll come visit you after she leaves."

"Love you."

"Back atcha."

"Bye."

He hung up the phone and slumped on the bottom step of the stairs. It wasn't long before Addison started pounding on the door. He took a deep breathe before opening it.

"Addison," he said coldly.

Addison didn't say anything, she just pinned him against the wall by the door. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in, slowly kissing him on the lips just the way she knew he liked it.

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**Oh my God, I know you all hate me now. But don't worry! Derek isn't stupid. (At least he isn't this time around). I would have continued, but it's late. I always get my rush of inspiration really late at night. That's not going to be such a good thing once school starts again…**


	11. No Reason At All

**Hey guys. I can't apologize enough for how long this took. It's been a hectic couple of weeks, going back to school and all. Plus my step sister is getting married next weekend so I've been doing bridesmaid stuff (Sooo not fun). And I had a really big MUN conference (Model United Nations) this past weekend, so I was really busy preparing for that and stuff. It was the most unexciting thing that I have ever had to do in my entire life. I would have much rather be writing. But hey, you don't really want to hear my excuses do you? On with the story…**

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_He hung up the phone and slumped on the bottom step of the stairs. It wasn't long before Addison started pounding on the door. He took a deep breathe before opening it._

"_Addison," he said coldly._

_Addison didn't say anything, she just pinned him against the wall by the door. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in, slowly kissing him on the lips just the way she knew he liked it._

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Derek grabbed Addison's shoulders and pushed her away.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he asked, wiping her lipstick off his mouth.

Her face flushed with embarrassment at being pushed away by her own husband.

"I was just greeting my husband who I haven't seen in almost two weeks," she replied with a pout she knew Derek couldn't resist.

"I told you Addison, I want you to sign the papers," she said, pushing past her to walk into the living room.

She was appalled that he hadn't even acknowledged her pout, and followed him.

"You can't possibly be serious Derek. A week and a half with Meredith and you want to leave me?"

"I've wanted to leave you since the moment I stepped on Mark's jacket."

'_That was a bit harsh. Maybe I should apologize. No. No apologizing. I don't owe this woman anything…'_

Her mouth gaped open. He pulled open a drawer on Meredith's desk, and took out a packet of papers.

"Sign them Addi."

'_Do not make a scene. Just sign them! Please…please.'_

He handed her a pen and the papers and she snatched them from his hands. He struggled to hold back a smile. Progress! He was accustomed to her throwing them in his face, or tearing them up.

"I'll think about it," she said maliciously, shoving them into her purse.

'_Dammit!'_

"Addison! Just sign the damn papers! Don't try to drag it out so that you have a chance to win me back. It will never work. You and I are over. We've been over for a long time."

She took a step towards him so their bodies were almost touching. Her eyes flashed with anger.

"Do you really think I don't know that?"

He looked at her, confusion in his eyes. Her cherry red lips were inches away from his, her teeth clenched, and her eyes narrowed.

"You know?" he stutters out, not really knowing what else to say.

"Please Derek. I'm not an idiot."

"Then…"

"Then why won't I sign the papers?

He nodded and took a step back. She followed behind and stayed just as close to him. Her perfume was intoxicating. He could place the smell to the perfume he'd been buying her for Christmas for the past 12 years. His focus was lost for a moment, until he looked at her again. Her eyes were like daggers, waiting to plunge. His anger came rushing back, and his memories of Christmas's past were long gone.

"Sign the papers," he said, taking two steps away from her. This time she didn't follow.

"No."

"Addison! Why are you so hell bent on getting me to stay with you?"

"Because Derek. Because."

She stormed out of the house, slamming the door shut behind her.

Derek slumped onto the couch with a sigh. He just wished she would make everything easier and just sign the damn papers. She didn't love him anymore, he knew that. So what the hell was keeping her from letting him go? Did she just want him to make her look good? But God knows Addi was the best in her field. She didn't need Derek to make her look better in her career. Maybe it was the image. The perfect family image. Perfect doctor #1 marries perfect doctor #2 and have perfect doctor children #3, 4, and 5.

The image was shot to pieces as the phone rang. He pulled himself up from the couch and into the kitchen. The phone trilled loudly and he pulled it off the hook.

"Hello?"

"Derek?"

"Who is this?"

"This is Dr. Fletcher. I need to speak to you about Meredith."

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**Okay this is really short, but I want to get it up ASAP for you all. I'll TRY to write another before I leave on Wednesday, but I've got about a million things to do. Oh and I'll definitely put at least one more chapter up on my other story (Yes Meredith) before I leave, and I might post this other story I've had saved on my computer for awhile…**


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